


Tonight's Show ( is about you )

by kimaris



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: M/M, circusau, shapeshiftershit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-14 20:20:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5756953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimaris/pseuds/kimaris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's 2044 and circuses are beyond famous once again, but this time they are done with freak shows and plain acrobatics. Tonight, the main characters in the show are the shape shifters who had been held captive for God knows how long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. -00-

**Author's Note:**

> A circus! + shape shifters! (is there such thing? no? there is now) AU, which would mention a bit of cruelty here and there. Add a sprinkle of angst and a quarter (or half) of fluff and romance -- main pairing would be wonkyun, but if you look closer there's going to be tiny pieces of jookyun all over the place. 
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you to bb Cass (SlicedLemons) for giving me some interesting ideas ; u ;

**00**

**Prologue**

 

 

Growing up as someone who can shape shift was never easy, especially for those children who get sold in the market for different purposes. Some of them are taken in as dancers in the red light district, some were bought to be personal slaves and some were sent to the circus to be used for shows — probably for the rest of their lives.

 

Changkyun was merely a cub when he was taken away. In a society filled with capitalists who think of nothing but their own, Changkyun and his kind means only one thing: money. He can vaguely remember how his parents look like, but it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t yearn for their affection. He misses them as much as he misses freedom.

 

“You’re coming out in ten.”

 

His thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice of his trainer. Changkyun’s ears twitch as the sound of metal hitting against metal tickles his ear, but not in a pleasant way. He silently nods as he stands up from his makeshift bed—which is actually just a pile of hay covered with a tattered blanket that does nothing to warm him up in the night.

 

He hears the click of the lock and soon enough, it was followed by the footsteps of his trainer entering his cage.

 

Even if he’s been trapped in the same cage for years already, he can never get used to it. His heart still beats wildly every time he hears the whip hitting the ground, his ears fold atop his head in hopes that it can, somehow, block the noise out. But if there’s one thing that he learned during his captivity, it’s that you should _never_ ever show them that you’re scared, because fear can always be used against you.

 

“Changkyun—“his breath hitches, body flinching when he felt his trainer tap his shoulder. It’s still sore due to the beating he got from last night.

“Hey, is there something wrong?” he slowly turns around and looks up, his lifeless eyes meets his trainer’s and he can visibly see that the other is worried.

 

Honestly, even though his life in the circus is nothing but hell he’s still thankful that he got Jooheon to be his trainer. The human was probably the kindest he’d ever met in his whole life. Jooheon doesn’t hit him when he can’t perform the tricks right during training, nor does he starve him when he gets in one of his foul moods. And most especially, Jooheon had never used the whip on him, not even during the live shows, and the least thing Changkyun can do in return was to obey the human as much as he could.

 

“Nothing,” he utters under his breath, but he knows he’s a terrible liar and he’s sure that Jooheon isn’t buying it either. Before he could even stop the other, the human was already inspecting his shoulders, a sigh was heard when Jooheon saw a nasty purplish bruise coloring Changkyun’s pale skin.

 

“What happened while I was away?” Jooheon asks him, Changkyun doesn’t know if he should tell him the truth, or if he should not say anything at all.

Fiddling with his fingers, Changkyun whispers his reply. “Hyungwon got mad.”

 

He knows it’s not enough and that Jooheon would insist for him to tell him the whole story but the familiar whistle of the ringmaster catches their attention. Changkyun knows what would happen next, and he knows nothing good would come if he dares disobey.

 

“Now, now, _kitten_. What’s with the gloomy look? We can’t have you like that on the stage, hm?” Changkyun had never liked the ringmaster’s jolly voice, he feels— _no_ , he knows that the master is mocking him and he doesn’t bother hiding it.  

 

With a defeated sigh, Changkyun nods. He stretches his limbs, eyes closed as he lets himself turn into a _beast_ , but is he really one if he can’t even lift a paw to protect himself from everyone? Beasts are supposed to be in the wild, feared and able to live on their own, but in his case he’s nowhere near a ferocious beast. He’s a pet, a toy that brings amusement to people.

 

_Damn them all._

 

The ringmaster grins at him cheekily, nodding his head in approval. He hands Jooheon the electric collar and without the need for words, Jooheon knows what he should do. Gripping tightly on the collar, he kneels on one leg and wraps the suffocating device around the beast’s neck.

 

Changkyun looks at his trainer, he trusts the human and he knows Jooheon wouldn’t press the button. Jooheon promised him that back then, and yet he can’t help but feel scared. A whimper threatens to come out of his mouth, so Changkyun diverts his gaze away.

 

The ringmaster claps his hands, “Fantastic! Now that you’re ready, why don’t you go out and give them one hell of a show?” he urges the beast out of his cage, and if Changkyun could only stay, he would.

 

He slowly gets out of his cage, not daring to look up at the ringmaster because the man was the definition of fear. He silently thanks his trainer when he felt the other rubbing soothing circles on his fur.

 

As they reach the stage, the loud cheers of excited viewers rang inside his ears, it’s overwhelming and it makes him nervous. “You’ll do just fine, don’t worry.” He hears Jooheon whisper; he looks up at his trainer for a second before focusing his attention on the bright lights and the numerous flaming hoops.

 

The ringmaster looks at him one last time, a stern look plastered on his face it goes without words and it never fails to make his fur stood to its end.

 

_I don’t tolerate any mistakes, kitten._

 

Changkyun prays for his and his trainer’s safety. This is it, the crowd is waiting. It’s dizzying, the lights make his eyes hurt but he shakes his head and enters the stage. And with a huff, he roars loudly, the sound vibrates through the room and from the side he can see the master grinning.

 

_Let the show begin._


	2. -01-

**_01_ **

**_Newcomer_ **

 

 

_It hurts everywhere._

_A mournful cry echoes in the suffocating air. He knew he wouldn’t make it, **they** wouldn’t make it. But as his mother runs hastily through the familiar forest they live in, he refuses to let go of the only thing they have left; hope._

_He can hear the mocking laughter of the hunters behind and he knows it’s only a matter of time before they catch up with them, and when it happens Changkyun knows it’ll be the end of their story._

_His mother’s bite is hard enough that he knows it would bruise in the morning, especially since his fur isn’t thick enough just yet. He whimpers, paw touching the side of his mother’s face._

**_I’m scared, mama._ **

_He doesn’t need to speak, knows that his mother understands him even with just a look, the feline spares her son a glance and even if it’s just for a second, Changkyun sees nothing but determination in his mother’s eyes._

**_I’ll keep you safe, sweetheart. I promise you that._ **

_He doesn’t know how long they’ve been running, but it must have been long enough because he can hear how his mother struggles to catch up with her breathing, how her heart beats rather wild against her chest and how her legs start to shake with exhaustion._

_Changkyun have heard a lot of stories about hunters, and in the stories there would always be someone killing another and he’s far from prepared for that._

_When that happens, it happened in a matter of seconds. He lets out a pained yelp as he falls and tumbles on the rocky ground. It hurts, but it’s nothing compared to the pain his mother must’ve felt._

_“Hurry up while she’s down!” he knows what they mean, and that they would be in front of them before he can even make a single move._

_His mother lies on the ground, her white fur now painted with red. She’s crying, wheezing as she looks at her helpless son._

**_L-Leave, son, you must go._ **

_Changkyun lets himself cry then; he shakes his head as he limps his way towards his mother. He nuzzles against her, tears stick to his fur but he couldn’t care less._

**_No! No, I won’t leave you here. I-I can’t, mama … mama, please get up! Please!_ **

_His mother rubs her head against his, a comforting act that she always does whenever he’s scared, however, this time it isn’t comforting at all. It only brings him sorrow._

**_Mama has to stay, there’s no choice._ **

_Changkyun refuses to move even if his mother pushes him, but when he hears her mother growl, he realizes that there’s no other way. When he looks up at his mother, the feline still has that strong determined look._

**_Go, run away. Live for me, for us. You must go._ **

_They hear a couple of gunshots, the heavy footsteps nearing as seconds go by and Changkyun knows he’s running out of time. The cub licks the fur of his mother’s cheek, and with one final look he whispers, “I promise I’ll live … and I’ll put an end to this.”_

_The footsteps are getting louder now, and so are the sounds of mocking laughter as the hunters cheer for their prize. The cub squeezes his eyes shut as he turns around, paws hitting the ground lightly as he desperately runs for his life._

_He can vaguely hear them, cursing when they realize that the ‘cub has escaped, find it!’, Changkyun knows he won’t be able to last long, he needs to move faster but the image of his dying mother blurs his sight and all he wants to do is go back home—_

_But he’s already lost his home, along with everything else._

 

\--

 

“ _Changkyun,_ Changkyun!” he can feel someone shaking him, waking him up. He refuses to acknowledge whoever it is, but the shaking gets rougher, more desperate and there’s just as much he could take. Taking a deep breath, he opens his eyes, squinting as he tries to adjust from the light.

 

“…Kihyun hyung?” he groggily asks, the smaller male doesn’t bother answering and instead he pulls Changkyun hastily off his bed, not even giving the younger male the chance to change his clothes nor brush his hair.

 

“What’s wrong? Where are you taking me?” he asks again, but this time his voice is laced with worry and a bit of raw fear. Kihyun’s grip on his wrist tightens, and that’s the only thing the younger male needs to understand what’s happening.

 

“They’ve caught another one.”

 

He feels his chest tightening, not sure if he’s ready to see who the new _prisoner_ is but it’s not like he has a choice, not when Kihyun’s grip is like a freaking vise grip. They don’t understand why the ringmaster keeps on buying shape shifters for shows when he already has at least half a hundred of them. The others don’t even perform in the stage, they don’t know what the ringmaster makes them do, but it’s not like Changkyun wants to know either.

 

The ringmaster calls them family, but had never treated them as one. They’re merely puppets, a source of entertainment and wads of cash and sometimes when the ringmaster thinks you have no more use for him, he’ll have you dead on the spot. He does it so easily like he’s just breathing in fresh air; everything is just a game for him.

 

And for you to survive, you have to learn how to play well.

 

They’re not allowed to be out of their cages without their trainers, but somehow Kihyun always manage to get them out without being seen and scathed. But that doesn’t mean they could let their guards down, so they sneak their ways and hides behind the pile of shipment boxes.

 

They couldn’t see quite well from their position, but at least they could see the face of the newly bought puppet. Changkyun can feel the anger of the male even from his place, it’s intimidating but at the same time it is heart breaking. Because he knows it would only take a short while before the prisoner’s will to escape would crumble into pieces.

 

Just like what happened to all of them.

 

\--

 

When Jooheon entered his cage an hour later, he has a bowl filled with the day’s breakfast—chicken soup. His trainer looked apologetic, but Changkyun isn’t even mad. He lets the older male sit beside him, snickering to himself when he saw the human wincing at the feeling of hay poking his skin when he sat.

 

“Sorry,” Jooheon says as he hands Changkyun the bowl and a spoon. “I asked if they could put more meat in it, but this is the most I could get.”

 

Changkyun nods, a small smile of gratefulness curves on his lips. He takes a spoonful of the soup and even though it tastes like the usual, it still makes his taste buds tingle and his stomach to swirl because food tastes a hundred times better when you’re hungry.

 

“Thank you.” He whispers, he knows he shouldn’t push his luck because not every prisoner gets to eat twice a day, but, maybe it’s because he trusts his trainer that he finds himself adding, “But maybe next time you can ask them to remove the carrots? I don’t really like the taste.”

 

Jooheon stares at him for a while and Changkyun squirms on his bed awkwardly, maybe he shouldn’t have said anything at all. But then, Jooheon is laughing and a warm hand is ruffling his uncombed hair.

 

“That’s the longest shit you’ve said.” Jooheon chuckles, then he’s frowning as he sighs. “Though I have to say no to that, you need all the food you can eat, Kyun. Just in case you need to be reminded, you’re underweight, technically malnourished and I don’t want that.”

 

Changkyun knows what his trainer meant by that, weak and sick performers will be removed from the team and will be separated from the rest so as not to infect the others. He doesn’t know what exactly happens, but it would always lead to the same ending— _death_. 

 

Changkyun nods, attention now focused on the dull soup.

 

“The new one is a tough guy.” Jooheon says out of the blue and Changkyun’s fingers twitch at that. He turns to look at the human, a curious look painted on his face. Surely, he hasn’t seen them sneaking out right?

 

And as if his trainer could read his mind, Jooheon smiles. “You two aren’t as sneaky as you thought you were.”

 

“You’re not mad?”

 

Jooheon shakes his head, “No.” he reaches a hand out and goes to pinch the younger male’s cheek. “But that doesn’t mean you can do it again. You’re lucky I was the one patrolling, if it was anyone else, if it was _him_ , you know what would happen.”

 

Changkyun shrugs, truthfully speaking, with the number of years he’d been held captive in this place he’d already been used to pain. He’d experienced a lot of beatings, punishments and unfortunately, even molested and raped by the ringmaster himself.

 

He grits his teeth at the memory, _“It’s like a personal check up.”_ He remembers the ringmaster’s mocking words then, he was too young when it happened; too innocent for the cruel world that he only began to realize how things work when he saw himself bleeding down there the next second he regained consciousness.

 

“He won’t be catching me trying to escape again.” Changkyun utters under his breath, somehow he suddenly feels full. The food seemed to lose its appeal and he ends up playing with it instead.

 

Jooheon lets go of his cheek but his warm hand remained there, palm cupping his cheek as his thumb rubs circles on such soft, delicate skin.

 

“You’re not talking about the ringmaster.” It wasn’t a question at all, and it scares him how much his trainer can understand him.

 

Changkyun shakes his head as his spoon drops on the floor, dirtying the already dirty ground. “No, not at all.”

 

\--

 

When he wakes up, it’s still Saturday. But when he catches a glimpse of the sky outside, he figures it’s already past seven in the evening. One more hour and it’ll be dinner time— _if,_ he’ll be lucky enough to have Jooheon bringing him supper.

 

Changkyun turns around so that he’s no longer facing the wall, and when he saw the prisoner from earlier staring at him from across a now occupied cage, the young feline yelps in surprise.

 

“W-Wha—H-How long have you been in there?” he finds himself asking, he takes slow steps closer to the bars as he tries to take a closer look at the prisoner. The new guy is huge, his shoulders are broad and his arms are well defined. He would look innocent if not for the frown that seemed to be permanently etched on his face.

 

“Does it matter?” the prisoner asks back and if Changkyun’s being honest, the prisoner is reminding him of his past self, the Changkyun that refused to give in, to obey until he learned what the consequences of his actions are.

 

The feline sighs, body slumping down on the ground. He sits with his back facing the other, he doesn’t particularly like the feeling of cold metal against his barely clothed back, but it’s better than having someone glare at you like they want to end your life.

 

“It’ll be better if you learn how to answer properly when you’re being asked.” He says. He doesn’t know why he’s saying such things but Changkyun thinks it’s the least he could do to help the newcomer.

 

He hears the prisoner scoff, and then silence followed. Changkyun turns to look at the prisoner and instead of a frowning male; he sees a brownish gray dire wolf staring back at him.

 

“I’m sorry you got caught.” He apologizes even though he hasn’t done anything at all. The wolf just stares at him as if he’s memorizing each and every of his feature. “This place is hell, you know? You shouldn’t be here. _We_ shouldn’t be here.” Changkyun sighs; mentally counting the times he’d tried to escape only to get dragged back and locked in for days without food.

 

He didn’t say anything more after, but he realizes he doesn’t mind the silence. Changkyun’s not much of a big talker himself, and he assumes that the wolf isn’t one as well.

 

Just as Changkyun was about to get up and return to his makeshift bed, he hears the familiar voice of the ringmaster nearing their place. The young shape shifter scurries to his bed, looking at the wolf and gesturing for him to stay silent.

 

The light from the lantern makes Changkyun wince, but what send a shiver down his spine was the wicked grin the ringmaster has. “Well, would you look at that? Were you waiting for me kitten?” he muses, though the master didn’t even give Changkyun the chance to answer as his attention shifted to the dire wolf who was growling lowly at him.

 

He looks even bigger like this, even if he’s inside the cage it still feels like he’s hovering over the ringmaster and to be honest, Changkyun finds it scary. On the other hand, the ringmaster finds it amusing.

 

“My, aren’t you a feisty one.” He chuckles lowly as he takes out his whip. Changkyun moves back even closer to the wall, as if the mere thought of the whip hitting him pains him. The wolf only glares even more at the human. He bares his fangs, and then he’s going in for the kill only to be hindered by the metal bars that cages him.

 

It’s futile and pathetic but Changkyun still hopes that somehow it would work. However, when he saw the displeased look of the ringmaster he knows it would only bring no good to the wolf.

 

“Back off, _dog_.” He hisses as his whip hits the side of the dire wolf’s face. The wolf yowls in surprised pain but it didn’t stop him from trying again. He growls louder, fur standing on its end as he tries to grab the ringmaster and maybe, scratch him with his ridiculously long nails.

 

“Tsk,” the ringmaster sighs in annoyance. “Looks like you need to be trained, you poor imbecile.” He shakes his head in feign disappointment, but Changkyun knows it’s just for show. That the human actually like it when his prisoners are like this, because he loves seeing them give up in the end.

 

Before he realizes what he’s doing, Changkyun’s already running and grabbing on the metal bars of his cage. “W-Wait, Master Minhyuk!” his voice was nothing but a broken whisper, and yet the ringmaster clearly heard him. The blonde male turns to look at him with a raised brow, clearly interested in what he has to say.

 

“S-Spare him for the night,” Changkyun gulps down his fear. He can feel the wolf staring at him if it’s out of shock or something else, he doesn’t know. “He’s new, he … he doesn’t know how things work here yet, please.” He doesn’t even know why he’s begging; heck he doesn’t know why he’s doing this in the first place. But it’s not like he can back out now.

 

Minhyuk hums lowly, steps graceful as he approaches the younger male. Once he’s in front of Changkyun, he reaches out and traces the younger male’s face with his fingers, and then he’s tightly gripping on Changkyun’s chin, tilting his face so that he can look at him directly in the eye.

 

“What will you give me in return if I let him go unscathed?” Minhyuk asks, visibly intrigued. It’s not a secret that out of all the shape shifters in the circus, Changkyun was the ringmaster’s favorite, but it’s not like the young performer feels proud about it.

 

Changkyun takes a deep breath, fingers trembling as he starts to take off his clothes until he’s only left in his underwear. The wolf across him looks alerted, and Changkyun gives him a small smile before the latter is looking back at the ringmaster.

 

“You can have me for tonight.”

 

 

 


	3. -02-

_**02** _

_**Colonel** _

 

 

 

He woke up to the smell of smoke and the suffocating scent of sex. It made him dizzy and the need to puke was what made him unsteadily get off the ringmaster’s bed. Changkyun didn’t bother looking around since he knows that Minhyuk is not the type who stays to check up on anyone at all.

 

This is disgusting, he thinks as he makes his way to the bathroom. I’m disgusting, with shaky fingers, he gags himself and when the bile starts to rise to his throat he pulls back and lets out as much as he could. This is the least thing he can do to lessen the humiliation he’s got from Minhyuk.

 

“Oh, what’s this?” Changkyun freezes in his place; the voice is all too familiar that he starts shaking. “Puking out my come? Ah, such a bad kitty.” He can hear Minhyuk’s mocking laughter and Changkyun had never felt scared as much before until now.

 

Changkyun takes a deep breath, “Sh-Shouldn’t you be out watching the others train?” he knows he’s in no position to ask, but this is the first time that Minhyuk stayed after he’s done playing with him.

 

Although he’s shaking badly, the young shapeshifter finally managed to turn and look at the ringmaster. He’s still on his spot though, and the ringmaster smirks at the sight.

 

“You should be thankful that I’m here for more important matters, if I wasn’t, I would’ve punished you for being ungrateful. Tsk, tsk.” Minhyuk feigns a sigh of disappointment; he doesn’t wait for the younger male to answer as he already turns and makes his way to his unmade bed. The smell of last night’s activities still lingers in the air and Minhyuk inhales as much as he could, liking the fact that somehow there’s a tint of fear in the air as well.

 

“Sit.” Minhyuk orders, voice suddenly cold and stern.

 

Changkyun quickly scrambles and sits on the ground, just in front of the ringmaster’s parted legs. He keeps his gaze on the carpeted floor and his fists curled on his lap. He feels Minhyuk brushing his hair and normally he’ll say it’s a comforting act, but Minhyuk is not Jooheon, Minhyuk is nothing but a never ending trouble.

 

“We will be leaving this place before the day ends.” Minhyuk says, with his free hand he grabs an unlighted cigarette and settles it in between his lips. He lights it and inhales gently until the end was glowing and completely lit. “That bastard of a General has his men scattered in the city and if they find out that I’m keeping gems like you, what will happen?” 

 

 _We’ll finally be free_ , is what Changkyun wanted to say. “You’ll be arrested, the circus will be closed down and … and they’ll take us away.” His breath hitches when Minhyuk suddenly grabbed him by the hair, making him tilt his head so he’s looking up at the ringmaster who was smiling almost too innocently at him.

 

“That would make me sad,” The ringmaster sighs. “They can take everything away, but not you. _My_ precious little Changkyun, you’re fairer than any diamond in this world.” Changkyun feels himself tearing up when Minhyuk started tracing his face, the blonde male’s fingers are rough against his skin and Changkyun wants nothing but to push the other away.

 

 _Lies,_ Changkyun bites the tip of his tongue. _You only want me for money._

Minhyuk laughs when Changkyun couldn’t stop his tears from staining his cheeks anymore. He doesn’t brush the tears away, if anything, he looks rather amused. “You’ve always been a crybaby, such a messy crybaby. Just like when your mother—“

 

“Stop,” Changkyun whispers, his voice was low yet soft. “Don’t talk about her, don’t even mention her. You have no right.” He knows that what he’s doing will put him in danger, but Minhyuk should’ve been careful.

 

Changkyun’s normally round pupils turn to vertically slit ones, his hazelnut hued eyes are now a pale shade of gray. He looked defiant, but not enough to convince the ringmaster. Changkyun struggles, but the grip on his hair just tightens in return.

 

“Ah, I’ve always liked it whenever you get like this. Gray suits you, but white looks better on you.” Minhyuk coos, he lets go of Changkyun and goes to inhale and exhale a puff of smoke, the smell makes Changkyun cringe, but that didn’t stop him from frowning. “Jooheon’s already packing up your things, you can leave now.”

 

Changkyun didn’t answer anymore; he leaves the room quickly yet still wobbly.

 

\--

 

The first thing he saw when he’s back in the quarters was Jooheon standing in front of his cage. Arms crossed and gaze hard, almost unreadable. Changkyun felt himself shiver.

 

“Hyunwoo told me that the ringmaster took you last night,” Jooheon says, voice not stern enough to be considered as scolding, but Changkyun knows better. “What happened? What did he do?” he’s demanding answers and Changkyun isn’t so sure if he can give them.

 

He sighs as he approaches his trainer and even though Jooheon still looks at him with that rather scary gaze, the latter still pulled the younger male in his arms.

 

“Nothing unusual,” Changkyun mumbles against the crook of Jooheon’s neck. “I have more bruises on my back though.” He feels his trainer patting his head in a comforting manner and maybe if they are in a different situation he would’ve purred in delight already.

 

“I’ll look at them later; I’ll go grab some ointment from Hyungwon's room first.”

 

Changkyun nods, eyes almost closing in exhaustion. “Wait,” he looks up at Jooheon with a curios look. “Who’s Hyunwoo?”

 

Jooheon looked quite surprised for a second then he’s sighing. “He’s the new guy, he’s supposed to be sharing the quarters with you but they figured he’s not tamed enough yet.” Jooheon grits his teeth, annoyance evident in his face. “This is getting out of hand.”

 

“Minhyuk said we’re leaving today, what’s going on hyung?” Changkyun asks, “Are we on the run again?” he winces at his own words, hates how it sounds like he’s siding with the ringmaster instead.

 

Jooheon looks around briefly, as if he’s making sure that no one will hear them. “About that,” he takes a deep breath and pulls the younger male inside the cage. He drags Changkyun until both of them are seated side by side on Changkyun’s bed. “I may or may have not found a way to contact one of the colonels that was deployed in this city. He said he’s already contacted his group and they will be here right after our last show ends.” He explains, voice a mere whisper.

 

Changkyun’s eyes widen at the information he heard and he has to stop himself from celebrating, because he knows that they need to be careful about this. However, it didn’t stop him from tackling the other.

 

“Oh my god, oh my god, _oh my god!_ ” he practically wheezes in the arms of his trainer. He can’t help but feel hopeful that maybe this time, he can finally be free. Maybe this time, they will no longer be captives. “H-How did you do it though?! Oh god, hyung! Thank you, thank you!” before he knows it, he’s already crying and Jooheon’s shushing him as he brushes away the tears.

 

The older male smiles at him, “Kihyun helped me. We’ve been planning on this for quite some time already, can’t let you guys be trapped here forever.” He ruffles Changkyun’s hair with his free hand and the younger male finally lets out a contented purr. “You know that picking out locks is one of Kihyun’s talents,” Jooheon chuckles. “He helps me get out at night and then I meet up with the colonel near the town center. I told him everything I could, even gave him proofs that the system here isn’t what everybody thought it is.”

 

“What did he say then? What’s his name? When are we leaving? What do we do?” Changkyun asks one after another and Jooheon chuckles even more.

 

“Calm down, kid.” Jooheon taps the tip of the younger male’s nose. “He didn’t tell me his name, told me I’ll know it when the time comes. He’s been trying to find the people behind the human trafficking that’s been going on here for a long while now. He said he’d thought of the circus too, given that the case grew in number the moment we settled in here. But you know they can’t arrest people like Minhyuk without strong evidence, so I gave him what they needed.”

 

“What exactly did you give hyung?”

 

Jooheon smiles bitterly, “Pictures. Pictures of you, Kihyun and the other shifters as well, Pictures of how they treat the performers. Forced labor is against the law, but what Minhyuk has done was worse than that. He’d technically hunted you down and now you’re under a slave contract. I can’t let things stay as it is.”

 

Changkyun sighs; he can vaguely remember how Minhyuk had tortured him until he’s agreed to be a part of the crew. It was a nightmare he wishes to forget.   

 

“Who took the pictures though?” Changkyun’s sure that it isn’t Jooheon since the latter isn’t really good with taking identifiable photos.

 

Changkyun watches as his trainer scratches the back of his nape. “Hyungwon did,” he pauses just to spare a glance at Changkyun who was now looking at him with a surprised expression. “Don’t get me wrong, Kyun. I still think he’s a bastard, but he’s blinded by money. Give him a fair amount and he’ll do anything even if it leads to the circus shutting down. I know him, once he realizes that things are completely fucked up already, he’s out.”

 

Changkyun doesn’t know whether or not he should feel relieved about it, after all, Hyungwon was the one who caught him trying to escape and told him off.

 

“Don’t worry too much, Kyun. I’ve got this planned out, trust me.” Jooheon tries to assure the younger male once he saw that Changkyun was looking troubled again.

 

Changkyun smiles a little, “Right.” He looks up at Jooheon with and then he’s smiling brighter. “Thank you, hyung.”

 

\--

 

His bruises looked nasty, red and purple and just littered all over his body. Changkyun grits his teeth as he touches one near his hip. At times at like this, he thinks it’s good that he’s a beast when he performs so that people wouldn’t see just how filthy he really looks like.

 

On stage he has his own spotlight, labeled as the highlight of the show, because he’s unique and incredibly beautiful. He shakes his head at the thought, if only these people knows that he’s just like anyone else—well, at least that’s what he believes in.  

 

Changkyun grabs his collar and locks it around his neck. He can never really get used to the feeling; it feels like someone is choking you wherever you go.

 

“… Hey,” his thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone tapping on the metal bars of his cage.

 

“Hyunwoo?” Changkyun’s a little bit surprised, not because he wasn’t expecting to see the wolf again, but because the taller male’s injured as well. He has a fresh cut on his cheek and a forming bruise on the side of his chin.

 

Changkyun opens his cage and lets the other in; he grabs the cream and motions for Hyunwoo to take a sit. “You weren’t left unscathed,” it was a statement and Changkyun isn’t sure if he wants to hear what Hyunwoo has to say about it.

 

The taller male shrugs, his face was void of any emotion even as Changkyun started smearing the ointment on his wound. “I tried to follow you, but I got cornered. That tall blonde human had the nerve to use a taser on me.”

 

_He’s probably talking about Hyungwon._

 

“I’ll get back at him and when I do, I’ll chew his arm off.”

 

Changkyun frowns at the statement, “Have mercy.” He doesn’t like Hyungwon one bit, but the mental image of the guy with his arm torn off was still disturbing. “If anything, you should be worried about your safety first.” He says after he’s finished covering the bruises with enough gel.

Hyunwoo nods at that, he grabs Changkyun’s wrist and looks at the smaller male. “I don’t know why you did it but … thank you.”

 

Changkyun smiles softly, “In a place like this, all we can do is try to help each other so that we don’t die too soon.”

 

\--

 

Three hours before the last show, they were called out. Jooheon has him on the leash, they both know he doesn’t need it, but just to avoid suspicions Changkyun suggested they do it. He’s turned into his feline form, his fur looks a bit dull and he’s slightly limping so Jooheon purposely slows down his steps to match with the younger male.

 

Hyunwoo’s beside them, following behind Jooheon and just like Changkyun, he walks as a dire wolf. The other workers can’t help but stare at Hyunwoo, because just like his mortal appearance, he looks just as divine.

 

“Minhyuk’s recruiting huntsmen.” Jooheon says in a low tone, “I don’t know why he’s doing this just now, but he must be pretty desperate.”

 

Changkyun nods, somehow Jooheon’s words made his heart stutter in fear. What if Jooheon’s plan doesn’t work?

 

They arrived in the training grounds and saw that most of the performers and their trainers are there already. Changkyun sees Kihyun sitting beside Hyungwon and they exchanged knowing looks with each other.

 

“You can talk to him later if you want, you’ve practiced enough the other day anyway.” Jooheon pats his head, and because Changkyun can’t talk to him in his current form, he swishes his tail in appreciation instead.

 

They watch as Minhyuk welcomes the new recruits, it’s sickening, how he looks so happy and innocent, as if he isn’t doing anything wrong. Changkyun wonders how Minhyuk is capable of doing it, but then he’s not entirely sure he wants to know how.

 

Changkyun looks at the huntsmen, there’s nothing new about how they look. For him, they all look the same even if they wear different clothing, or have different tattoos and piercings. They all wear the same expression, it’s like they’re starving. Not for food, but for blood.

 

He hears Jooheon gasp, he feels as his trainer’s hand shake resulting for the chain connecting to his collar to tremble as well.

 

“That’s him,” Jooheon utters under his breath.

 

 Changkyun didn’t understand so he looks at where Jooheon is looking. He sees a rather bright looking male, he has black Harley glasses on top of his head and he’s wearing a denim blazer over a fitted shirt, showing off his biceps and his toned torso.

 

“That’s him,” Jooheon repeats, “He’s the colonel—“

 

Changkyun freezes on his spot, the colonel sees him and Changkyun knows that the other is staring right through him. He doesn’t know why, but it makes his fur stand to its end. Even as Minhyuk talks to the colonel, the latter’s attention was focused on him.

 

Changkyun’s ears twitches, he can hear Minhyuk asking for the other male’s name and he tried to divert his gaze, but the colonel’s stare is pulling him in. So he stares back, stares as the other male mouths his name.

 

**_... Wonho_ **

 

The colonel smiles at him and Changkyun can feel his heartbeat thrumming hard against his chest. Wonho knows everything, Wonho knows what he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you guys guess what kind of feline Changkyun is? : 3


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